6 ideal free agent fits for the St. Louis Cardinals that are somehow still available

David Robertson

Boasting quite a bit more pedigree than Maton, David Robertson remains a free agent after coming off a 3.00 ERA and 2.65 FIP season with the Texas Rangers.

Robertson mostly operated as a set-up man for Texas last year, posting his best K/9 since 2017 and looking as good as ever on the mound. Robertson had a rough two-year stretch during the 2019 and 2021 seasons (did not pitch in 2020) but since then, he's posted a 2.40 ERA, 3.03 ERA, and 3.00 in consecutive seasons.

Robertson will turn 40 in April, but considering how young the Cardinals' bullpen is right now, it wouldn't hurt to add the wealth of experience he has to their bullpen. Robertson would be an excellent replacement for Andrew Kittredge's role from last year's bullpen and could help Ryan Helsley, Ryan Fernandez, and JoJo Romero lead another top-10 bullpen in 2025.

Robertson would come at a higher price than someone like Maton would, but you get what you pay for pedigree-wise. If Robertson wanted a multi-year deal, I'd be telling the Cardinals to run away. But based on what he accomplished last year, I'd be more than happy to take a dart throw and see what Robertson can do in 2025. What do the Cardinals have to lose anyway?

While St. Louis does plan on holding onto Ryan Helsley this year, acquiring Robertson would give them more confidence in the bullpen if they did move Helsley at some point. While I'm very intrigued by what Fernandez could do in a closer role at some point, Robertson would give a bit more certainty to that mix.